A Day In The Life Of Futaba Sakura
by Rain446
Summary: Futaba decides to embark on an exciting mission to buy a birthday present for her boyfriend, but her anxiety is causing some problems. Will she be able to overcome her fears and accomplish her task to gain the treasure? You'll have to read to find out.
1. Chapter 1

**First off, wanna say that I love the Persona series. I've played 3, 4, and now five and they just keep getting better. I adore the character Futaba and her relationship with the protagonist is just so cute! This is my first time writing anything for this fandom but I do hope to write more in the future. This story will only be two chapters. I know that a lot of people use the name Akira for the protagonists name but I prefer the one I used when I played the game, so in this story and any future ones I write he will be named Tatsuma.**

 **I do not own any of these wonderful characters and no profit is being made. This is purely for fun.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Love hearing what others think of my stories.**

* * *

Futaba Sakura was a girl on a mission. A very important mission. A mission so important that she was thinking of doing the unthinkable. She was going to leave the house…by herself.

Standing in front of the door, Futaba stared at it, trying to work up the courage to actually open the thing and step outside. Usually, in a situation such as this, she would contact her key item and get him to give her a pep talk. He was just so good at motivating her to do the things that she was normally too afraid to do. This time however, she couldn't do that. This time the mission was about him and she couldn't tip him off.

This was a mission to buy him a birthday present!

Well, his birthday wasn't for a few more months but, unfortunately, he wasn't going to be around for it. He was heading back to his hometown…

A wave of sadness engulfed her but she quickly shook her head.

"No! We are not thinking about that!"

Futaba glared at the door. This stupid thing was not going to stop her from buying her boyfriend a birthday gift!

Her thoughts caught up to her and her face immediately flushed red like a tomato.

B-boyfriend?!

"Y-yes…I-I am going to buy my b-boyfriend a birthday present!"

"Futaba? What are you yelling about?"

Whirling around in surprise, Futaba came face to face with her dad.

"Ack! Sojiro don't sneak up on people like that!"

He chuckled lightly and watched her with a raised eyebrow. "Sorry about that, but what are you getting so worked up about?"

Well aware that her face was still bright red, Futaba spun back around to face the door.

"Uhh…j-just gotta go buy something. You know, like normal people do…hahaha…"

She could feel Sojiro step up behind her and she couldn't help but tense up a bit. She so did not want him to see how embarrassed she was.

"Futaba, are you alright?" He asked, concern evident in his voice.

That only made her even _more_ embarrassed.

"I told you, I just have to go buy something. It's my mission of the day!" She declared, pumping her fist in the air.

Sojiro chuckled again. "Okay, okay, I get it. Are you going alone?"

"Yup." Futaba said with a wide grin as she turned to him again. Her face had finally calmed down.

Sojiro smiled back at her. "Well…that's good. Better get to it then."

Futaba nodding in understanding and hastily waved him away.

"Alright, I'm going. Just be careful okay? And call if you need anything."

"Yup, yup. Will do." Futaba said with a little salute. Then, not waiting to see if Sojiro was gone or not, she faced the annoying door and abruptly wrenched it open to reveal the beautiful sunshine outside.

"Let's do this!" She yelled as she jumped out, slamming the door shut behind her.

Sojiro laughed lightly to himself as he watched her take off down the street. He was so proud of her and he only hoped that the juvenile delinquent living in his café was appreciative of the hard work she was putting into his present.

With nothing else to do, Sojiro got ready to head out himself.

* * *

Futaba marched down the road headed for the train station with her head held high and a purpose to her steps. Phase one was complete and now it was time for phase two. Her mission consisted of six phases in all and at the end of it the most amazing gift of all time would be in her possession.

She smiled confidently as she thought about what his face was going to look like when he saw it. His eyes would widen and he'd look at her proudly, knowing what it took for her to go out and get it for him. Then he'd pat her on the head and give her a big hug.

Just thinking about it made her heart race.

Eventually she made it to the platform and a feeling of unease washed over her. There were so many people…

Her eyes darted around until she spotted a place to wait that was partially off to the side where there were less humans waiting to attack her. Picking up her pace she practically ran over and took a few deep calming breaths as she tried to still her rapidly beating heart.

"You can do this…" She muttered to herself, her earlier confidence waning slightly. "This is for Tatsuma…"

Slapping her cheeks lightly to psych herself up again, Futaba slowly shifted closer toward the front of the platform. She stopped once she was up there but made sure she was still relatively off to the side. A few people were giving her weird looks but she did her best to ignore them. They were NPC's and not important.

Lacing her fingers behind her back, she waited as patiently as possible for the train to arrive. The closer the time came, the more people filed onto the platform and they started squishing in closer to her. Every fibre of her being wanted to take out her phone and call Tatsuma but her secret quest for this mission was to complete it without needing her key item. She knew that he would want her to call him if she was really struggling, and she would if it got that bad, but at the moment she was just really, really, uncomfortable. She could handle uncomfortable…hopefully…

"This is nothing…" She mumbled under her breath, "You fight shadows and make evil bow before you in fear. You _can_ ride this train."

Nodding resolutely to herself, Futaba squared her shoulders and glared at the approaching metal monstrosity.

"You will not beat me train!" She yelled out and pointed at it as it rolled up.

The people around her shifted away slightly while giving her more weird looks but once again she ignored them. Having them move away was actually a good thing. She wanted as much space as she could get.

Once the train pulled to a stop she reluctantly followed the throng onto it and snatched up the nearest seat she could find. She pulled her knees up to her chest and stared out at the people around her.

There was a man standing across from her looking at his phone; no threat there. A woman was sitting beside her with a pair of headphones on bopping along to whatever song she was listening to; no threat there either. Her gaze shifted to the old man that was sitting across from her but slightly to the left, who appeared to be reading a magazine of some kind. She narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to see what it was, when she suddenly felt like she was being watched. Looking up, Futaba was startled to see the man staring back at her with a slight smile on his face. She immediately looked down at the floor and pulled her knees closer.

Old man…possible threat.

Maybe if she ignored him he'd stop watching her.

A few minutes passed so Futaba decided to risk another look. Very slowly and subtly, she raised her eyes once more. Relief flooded through her when she saw that he was reading again.

She would have to keep an eye on that guy. Who knows what he could do if motivated, old people were wily.

Futaba let out a sigh and dropped her eyes again. She wondered what Tatsuma was doing. He had texted her earlier saying that he was planning on working at one of his part-time jobs that afternoon so she wouldn't be able to see him when she completed her mission. She would have to come up with the perfect day and time to give him his gift. It might be a little hard though, considering how busy he usually was.

Tatsuma really was amazing. He worked three jobs, plus he helped out at the café when he was able to. Futaba had also heard that he had a lot of friends that he helped out as much as he could. But the thing that made him really amazing was the fact that no matter what he was doing, if she needed him, he was there.

She remembered the previous week when she'd been out with Sojiro picking up some supplies for the café. Sojiro had been in the store and she'd wandered off to look at the games in a store a bit farther down. Everything had been going fine up until she'd gotten too enthusiastic in her looking and managed to knock over a display. The lady behind the counter had started yelling at her and she didn't know what to do. She'd immediately ripped out her phone and called him. He said he was nearby and would be there right away. Right away turned out to be like five seconds. He was at her side, breathing heavily like he'd just run a marathon, and attempting to placate the irate store clerk before she even realized what was happening.

Tatsuma had smoothed everything over and the two of them helped to clean up the mess she'd accidentally made by the time Sojiro showed up a little while later. Her dad seemed confused as to why he was there but Tatsuma just said that he'd been passing by and seen her in the store. The whole, her knocking over the display thing, remained between the two of them.

He was like the valiant knight in one of her games.

Futaba blushed slightly at the thought and smushed her face into the top of her knees.

It was sometimes hard for her to believe that someone like him liked someone like her. But, then again, this was Tatsuma she was talking about.

"Excuse me Miss?"

Futaba's head shot up only to see the old man from before standing in front of her. Her eyes widened slightly in shock and her hand shifted down to her pocket where her phone was.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

She shifted slightly in her seat and gripped her phone even tighter.

"W-what do you want?" She asked shakily.

He smiled down at her and it just made her even more nervous.

"I really did not mean to startle you. I sincerely apologize. I just wished to let you know that the train has stopped, so if this is your station you should get off while you can."

Futaba's eyes widened even more. "Are we in Shibuya?!"

The man nodded, not at all put off by her outburst.

"Ack!" Futaba jumped up almost bumping into the old man in the process. "Thanks for lettin me know old man!"

As she sprinted off the train, Futaba could hear the guy laughing lightly behind her.

Old man; not a threat.

* * *

Phase two was a whopping success and Futaba was feeling pretty good about it. So far she'd managed to leave the house and ride the train all the way to Shibuya by herself. Phase three might be a little more difficult but she was more confidant now that she could do it. Phase three consisted of another train ride plus the long walk to the electronics store in Akihabara. She'd made sure to up the difficulty of each phase so that she could push her boundaries a little. It was kinda like her promise list.

Futaba slowly made her way over to the ticket machines and bought her ticket before making her way towards the next platform. She was glad that she'd had Tatsuma with her on her first trip to Akihabara or she would have no idea how to get there.

She once again sequestered herself over to the side and tried to stay as small as possible and when the train pulled up she, once again, followed the other people onto it.

Unfortunately though, this time she couldn't find a seat and was forced to stand near the door as people pressed up against her from all sides. She clutched her hands to her chest and closed her eyes, trying to control her breathing. This was so much worse than sitting down. At least when she was sitting she could use her knees as a barrier. Here she was surrounded and couldn't escape.

She took in one deep breath and then another and tried to picture Tatsuma's smiling face in her mind. His messy black hair and his dorky glasses, and the way he would smile contentedly when she asked him something in a way that he seemed to find endearing.

"Hehehe…" She chuckled as she thought of him and found it eased her anxiety somewhat. He really was her key item to victory.

Opening her eyes again, Futaba slowly lowered her arms back to her sides. The people around her were still _extremely_ close but they weren't paying her any attention which made things much easier. In fact, she was now feeling pretty calm and it was nice.

She started absentmindedly humming one of the battle themes from one of her favorite games and just waited to arrive at the station.

As far as train rides went, she decided that that one wasn't so bad. Nobody spoke to her or even looked at her for that matter, so it turned out okay in the end.

* * *

The second half of phase three was now set to begin. The walk to the electronics store.

Leaving the station, Futaba turned to the right and headed down the street. It was a Wednesday afternoon so there wasn't an excessive amount of people around which was good. She made pretty good time and managed to reach the halfway point of her journey before _it_ happened.

Completely minding her own business, still humming her battle tune, Futaba was completely taken off guard when something smashed into her from behind. She was sent sprawling to the ground in a heap, landing hard on her left arm.

"Owww…" She moaned as she cradled the appendage.

"Oh my goodness! Are you alright?!"

Looking up Futaba was acutely aware of a rather large group of people beginning to surround her with worried looks on their faces.

"Did you see that?! That boy didn't even stop!"

"Damn hooligans!"

"Are you alright dear?"

Sucking in a deep breath, Futaba struggled to get to her feet. Unfortunately the helpful masses decided to be a little too helpful and a woman reached out to grab her uninjured arm to help her up. Futaba immediately recoiled and ended up losing her balance and fell back to the ground landing ungracefully on her butt.

"Oh my! I'm sorry!"

Futaba looked up at them all with wide eyes, right hand immediately shifting to her phone again. Her fingers brushed against it before she froze.

No.

This was not the time to freak out. This was for Tatsuma and she was going to _do_ _it_ dammit!

"Would you…um…like some help or…" The woman trailed off, not really knowing what to do.

Futaba hesitantly reached out her hand. "Uhh…y-yeah…thanks…" She mumbled.

The woman smiled down at her before gently taking her hand and helping her to her feet. Once she was situated the crowd began to disperse and Futaba was left alone with the woman who'd helped her.

"Are you alright now? How does your arm feel?" She asked.

Stretching her arm out, Futaba winced when a sharp pain shot through it.

"Oh dear. Do you need to go to the doctors?"

Her eyes widened again. This woman was being a little bit to helpful. "N-no…I'm fine. I..uhh…have to go now!"

Darting away as fast as her legs could carry her, Futaba didn't stop running until she couldn't hear the woman calling after her anymore. Unfortunately though, she hadn't been watching where she was going as she was running, and now she had absolutely no idea where she was.

After quickly ducking into an alley she sank down into a squat and leaned back against the wall behind her.

The second half of phase three was not going well…

And now she was lost.

* * *

Futaba sat there for a while contemplating things. She figured she had two options. The first was, she could call either Sojiro or Tatsuma and get them to help her, effectively putting an end to mission birthday present, or, she could ask a stranger for directions.

Just thinking about option two made her want to throw up. It made her want to throw up and then die.

Her friends would say she was being overly dramatic but this was really serious. A stranger could…well they could…do all sorts of unspeakable things!

On the other hand…all of her hard work getting this far would be ruined and she wouldn't have the gift.

She contemplated a little more and then made her decision.

Pushing herself to her feet, Futaba stormed out of the alley and right up to an old woman walking by.

"H-hey you!" She said rather abruptly.

Startled, the woman stopped walking and looked at her with scared eyes.

"Y-yes?" She asked uncertainly.

"I need you to tell me the way to the electronics store."

The woman blinked at her a few times before suddenly looking relieved.

"Oh, well, you must go that way and make a right turn. The store you're looking for is down a little ways on the left hand side of the street."

Futaba nodded. "Your help is greatly appreciated. If you weren't an NPC you would totally be going up a level right now."

Futaba moved away without saying anything else, leaving the poor woman standing there utterly confused.

Once again on course, she made her way around the corner and kept her eyes peeled for the store she was looking for. She was nearing her goal. She could feel it. It was just like in her game when she was about to find the hidden treasure. It was really exciting.

She walked a bit farther and then…there it was.

Sitting all nonchalantly on the left hand side of the street just like the woman said.

Walking a little quicker now, Futaba suddenly found herself standing in front of the doors leading inside.

A wide smile spread across her face.

Phase three, complete.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow. Thank you guys so much for all of the fav's, follows, and reviews. I honestly didn't expect that much interest in this little story. Hopefully you like this chapter too. I had been planning on having this be only two chapters but I needed to split it into three because it would've been to long. The last one will be up in a few days. Enjoy.**

* * *

The store was exactly like Futaba remembered it. Large, busy, and full of the most wonderful things known to man. Electronics. It was like her own personal treasure hoard.

Her eyes shined with excitement. One day, after she'd conquered her fears of going to high school and was able to get a part time job, Futaba was going to splurge like crazy. An updated hard drive was at the top of her list.

But today was not for her. Today was mission birthday present, so that was what she was going to get.

She knew what she was going to buy him already so it was just a matter of finding the right department. Easier said than done. The place was freaking huge, like some kind of temple, and she was the intrepid explorer setting out to find the elusive headphones.

Futaba narrowed her eyes as her fighting spirit surged within her.

"Let's do this." She said firmly before setting off down the first aisle she could find.

It was filled with coffee machines.

Not exactly what she was looking for. Although…maybe Sojiro would like a new one for Christmas?

"Ack! No! This is not the time to do a side quest!" She yelled at herself in the middle of the aisle. Once again the people around her gave her weird looks and moved as far from her as they could.

Futaba didn't even notice.

She shook her head to dislodge all thoughts of coffee machines and hurried toward the next aisle.

This one was filled with toaster ovens…

"Ugh…" She groaned. "Why can't I use my persona abilities in the real world. Then I could just get a map of the whole place…"

She traveled slowly down the aisle, taking in the shiny objects used for toasting things, and briefly wondered if the people who bought the stupid things only did it because they couldn't get their hands on delicious curry. Who in their right mind would eat toast when they could have that?

"They must live very sad lives…" She muttered softly to herself.

Futaba wandered around for a while longer. She passed the other appliance aisles and one filled with toy robots before finally getting annoyed. She did not want to have to spend her entire day wandering around like some lost soul.

That, of course, meant that she was going to have to ask for directions…again.

Asking for directions was fast approaching number one on her list of things she hated to do. Unfortunately though, if she wanted to complete phase four of the mission, she was gonna have to do it.

With a resigned sigh she peeked around the corner of the robot aisle. Looking around, she finally spotted a man wearing an employee shirt standing a few feet away typing on one of the store's computers.

Target acquired.

She just had to try and treat this as a side quest. She had to speak to this NPC in order to gain what she needed to complete the mission. Simple.

Biting her lower lip, Futaba slowly edged out of the aisle she was in and started her slow walk over to the guy. He had his back turned away from her which was good. She didn't know if she could do it if he was watching her.

She was about halfway there when a woman carrying a screaming child suddenly hurried over.

"Excuse me?! Where is your washroom?!"

The employee jumped back a bit in surprise and then in a flustered rush, sped off with the woman and kid. Futaba just stood there in disbelief.

"Well, crap…" She muttered. There went that idea. Side quest failed.

With an annoyed sigh she looked around again. There were no other employees in sight which meant that she was back to wandering. It was like she was back in a Palace.

Idly making her way through some more aisles, Futaba let her fingers trail over some boxes filled with remote control cars. She briefly wondered if Tatsuma would like one of them instead. She actually considered getting him one but that ended up feeling too much like giving up and she had made a promise to herself that she wasn't going to do that anymore.

With another sigh, she turned a corner and…ran right into a guy carrying a huge box.

All three of them crashed down to the floor and the boxes contents scattered everywhere.

Bumping into people and falling on her ass was becoming a habit.

Futaba sat there a little stunned as the guy, who turned out to be a store employee, started apologizing profusely.

She barely acknowledged him though. Her attention was completely drawn to what had been in the box.

Headphones!

A wide smile spread across her features.

"Success!" She yelled as she scurried across the floor and picked up a box with red ones in it. Tatsuma's favorite color was red. He was going to love these!

"Are these the newest model?!" She excitedly asked the still sputtering employee.

He blinked blankly a few times before opening his mouth. "Uhh…yeah?"

"Awesome! You are definitely the hero of this mission! Phase four is officially complete!"

The guy continued to stare at her, completely dumbfounded, as she pushed herself to her feet and held out her hand to help him up.

"Come on already! We don't have time to wait for you to reboot!"

The employee quickly grabbed her hand and hastily jumped to his feet. "Uhh…do you need any…uhh…more help Miss?" He asked hesitantly as he took a step back.

Futaba smiled even wider. "Where do I pay for this?"

The guy held out his hand and pointed toward the right side of the store. "The entrance is over that way."

Futaba nodded in understanding before taking a small step toward him. She reached out and slapped him playfully on the arm. "Thanks a lot hero." She said with the utmost seriousness.

The guy's eyes widened in surprise but before he could say anything in response, Futaba was already heading off toward the entrance.

The employee watched her vanish around the corner, still utterly confused. It took him a few moments to fully understand what happened, but when he did, a small smile appeared on his face. Shaking his head with a slight laugh, he bent back down to start picking up the other headphones.

* * *

Futaba's smile never left her face as she made her way toward the tills. She gently clutched her treasure to her chest as she thought about how lucky she was. The odds of an employee coming to her with exactly what she needed were like a million to one, but that's precisely what happened, and now she had Tatsuma's gift safely in her grasp.

She knew that he was going to love them. She remembered the last time she'd been in his room, when they had been discussing a trip to Mementos, and she'd seen his old headphones sitting on the table beside the television. They were a really crappy pair from like two years ago and she couldn't believe that they still even worked. When she'd mentioned this to him as she was leaving, he'd merely laughed and said that they were good enough. Apparently he couldn't afford anything newer at the moment but he was saving up for a new pair as best he could.

It was then that she decided on his gift. The fact that they were red was an extra bonus.

Futaba eventually made it to the front without any more incidents and she quickly scoped out the line with the fewest occupants. Placing herself at the end of it, she bounced up and down excitedly as she waited for her turn.

It didn't take very long and soon she was at the front, ready to pay.

"That will be 7,000 yen." Said the cashier.

Futaba quietly reached into her pocket to pull out her money but suddenly froze when she realized that it wasn't there.

In a panic she looked down and began rummaging through every pocket she had but…it was just…gone.

"Is there a problem?"

Looking up, color draining from her face, Futaba felt like she was going to puke.

"M-my money…it's not here…"

The cashier looked unimpressed. "If you don't have any money I'm going to have to ask you to step aside."

"B-but…"

"Don't make me have to call security Miss." The cashier said as she reached for the store phone to do just that.

Futaba was so scared that she could barely think straight. Nodding jerkily, she stepped out of line and just kind of stood there awkwardly, having no idea what to do.

The other people in line stared at her with looks of pity which only upset her even more.

So freaked out and overwhelmed, Futaba sniffled loudly and tried to hold back her tears.

Finally, not able to take it anymore, she broke into a run and fled the store.

Futaba didn't stop running until she made it around the corner where she dropped down and pulled her knees to her chest. Tears started pouring down her cheeks and she had to choke back a sob.

She just didn't understand. Where did her money go?

Things had been going so well. She'd had the gift in her hands. Why did this have to happen?

She sniffled again and placed her forehead on top of her knees.

What was she supposed to do now?

She had no money. She couldn't even buy a train ticket home.

Futaba sat there for a while, trying to calm herself down. Getting upset wasn't going to accomplish anything. She needed to think. Unfortunately she could only come up with one option. She was going to have to call Sojiro to come and get her. She could call Tatsuma but she was too embarrassed about what had happened that she didn't want to face him. He would be so disappointed in her…

Feeling completely disheartened, Futaba hastily wiped her eyes on her sleeve and pulled out her phone. She slowly scrolled through her contacts until she reached Sojiro's number. She was just about to press the button when a shadow passed over her.

Slightly startled, she looked up and saw a concerned looking older woman staring down at her. She looked awfully familiar too.

"Are you alright sweetheart?" She asked.

Futaba just stared at her blankly.

"Did you hear me young lady?"

Blinking rapidly, Futaba finally realized where she knew her from.

"Y-you're that lady who gave me directions."

The woman smiled down at her.

"That's right dear."

"W-what do you want?" Futaba asked, not entirely sure what this woman's deal was.

She watched warily as the woman reached into her purse and pulled something out. Futaba's eyes widened in surprise when she saw what it was.

"B-but that's my bag! Where did you find it?!"

The woman smiled again and looked relieved.

"It was in the street near the alley you came out of earlier. I checked the I.D inside and saw that it was yours. I was hoping that I'd be able to return it to you before you left and I'm so glad that I was."

Futaba was still in shock as the woman handed her bag to her. She clutched it to her chest in utter relief. She looked down at it and then back up at the woman.

"Thank you so much." She whispered with genuine gratitude.

The woman nodded. "I'm glad I could be of help."

Futaba became a little weirded out when the woman frowned slightly.

"U-umm…what is it?" She asked.

"Well…I know it's none of my business but…are you alright? You seemed very upset a moment ago and I was just wondering if you needed any help."

Futaba was slightly taken aback. This woman had seen her crying? How embarrassing!

"I-I'm fine!"

The woman frowned a little more but it wasn't unkindly. "It's alright if you're not dear. Everybody needs help sometimes."

It was very strange but…this woman was starting to remind her a little of Tatsuma. Wanting to help her like that…maybe that's why Futaba found herself opening up.

"W-well…umm…I wanted to buy this present, and I didn't have my money, and everyone was looking at me like I did something wrong, and now I have my money again and I can buy the present but…I'm too scared to go back in there…" She trailed off after her abrupt ramblings, cheeks flushing red in embarrassment.

Strangely though, the woman didn't look put off in the slightest. She actually smiled.

"Oh my, that is a problem. Well, how about I go in with you then?"

Futaba blinked in surprise. "What?"

"I can go with you to buy your present. That way you wouldn't be alone. How does that sound?"

"Y-you would do that?"

"As I said before, everybody needs help sometimes."

Futaba couldn't help but smile in relief. If she had someone with her she wouldn't have to worry about the other people in the store.

"That sounds…okay."

"Then let's go get it then." The woman said as she held a hand out to help Futaba to her feet.

Futaba took the woman's hand, feeling more at ease than she'd felt since leaving the train. Phase four was now back on track.

* * *

"Thank you again Mrs. Seta!"

Himiko Seta smiled down at the rather energetic red head. Futaba Sakura was a rather…unique child, but instead of being put off by it, she found it rather refreshing. When the girl had first run out at her from an alley she had, of course, been a little frightened. The youth of today could be…dangerous at times, but she had soon realized the girl was nothing to be afraid of.

Then when she'd found her bag on the side of the road she'd become concerned. Knowing where the girl was going, Himiko immediately set off after her. What she hadn't been expecting though, was to find the child all alone and crying. It really pulled at her heart strings and she found herself drawn in. She found herself wanting to help.

When she found out the problem she was relieved that it was something she could help resolve. Offering her aide was very easy and soon enough the two of them were heading back toward the electronics store. As they walked, Futaba had opened up more and more, and while Himiko had no idea what an NPC or a side quest was, she had enjoyed listening to the girl. Futaba reminded her a lot of her own daughter.

One thing she began to notice though, was that Futaba seemed to get more and more nervous the closer they got to the store. She even began shifting slightly so that she was behind Himiko when they eventually reached the doors.

Himiko did her best to calm her down and her words eventually had the desired effect. The two of them made their way to the cash register that Futaba had run away from and Himiko was glad to see that the headphones the girl wanted to buy were still there at the till. She stepped up to the line with Futaba and kept speaking softly to her to help keep her anxiety at bay.

Once they made it to the front the cashier immediately locked her gaze onto Futaba and scowled. It made Himiko quite angry but she tried to keep things civil. She told the cashier that they were buying the headphones and now had the money to do so. She sternly watched as the girl rang them through before handing the item to Futaba who clutched it tightly to her chest as if she was afraid to lose it again.

Himiko had reluctantly thanked the cashier, because it was the polite thing to do, before quickly leading Futaba back outside. The girl immediately became less tense and Himiko was happy to see it.

After that she offered to walk Futaba back to the train station and the girl had jumped at the invitation, which is where they now found themselves.

"Oh, you don't have to keep thanking me dear. I was happy to help. You have a safe trip back home alright."

Futaba beamed up at her before sticking her hand out.

Himiko was confused for a moment before realizing what she wanted. She reached out to shake hands with the tiny red head.

"To bad there aren't more adults like you. That way maybe the Phantom thieves wouldn't be needed."

Himiko's eyes widened in surprise at the girl's strange words but before she could say anything, Futaba was walking off toward the train with a backward wave.

She stood there until the train left the station and a soft smile appeared on her face. Futaba Sakura was definitely a special girl. With one last look at the tracks, Himiko made her way out of the station intending to call her daughter in order to invite her over for dinner. It had been far too long.

* * *

Futaba found a seat on the train and pulled her knees up to her chest as she contemplated what had just happened. She was beyond glad that phase four was now completely complete because it had been the worst one yet.

As she had been speaking with Mrs. Seta she'd realized that she must have lost her money when the stupid guy from earlier had bumped into her in the street. She couldn't believe she hadn't noticed that. If it hadn't been for the nice old lady, she never would have been able to buy Tatsuma's gift and the whole day would have been a huge bust.

She smiled slightly when she thought of the woman. Luck had definitely been on her side for that one. It wasn't every day that you ran into a complete stranger who would just randomly decide to go out of their way to help. In fact…it was a complete enigma.

Up until that point, other than Sojiro and her mom, Futaba hadn't had the best of luck with adults. She would have to tell Tatsuma about her. He didn't have the best of luck with adults either. It was a nice change of pace to meet a good one. She hoped to meet her again one day.

The train clattered on but Futaba was in too good a mood to let the people around her affect her very much. She found herself constantly picturing the older woman's face when she'd seen the cashier scowling at her. It almost looked like Mrs. Seta wanted to scratch the girl's eyes out or something.

"Hehehe…" Futaba chuckled lightly to herself. It was like a momma bear protecting her cub.

 _Bzzt Bzzt Bzzt_

Reaching into her pocket, Futaba pulled out her phone and looked down at the screen. Tatsuma had texted her.

 _Hey Futaba. Turns out my shift isn't until tomorrow. You want to go to a movie?_

Excitement bubbled up inside of her and she smiled widely. She hurriedly texted back.

 _Heck yeah I do!_

 _Great :) Do u want to meet there or would u like me to pick you up?_

 _I'll meet u there! I'm not at home._

As soon as she hit send, Futaba froze.

Crap! She'd just told him that she was out! Now he was going to be suspicious!

 _Really? Where are you?_

Crap! Crap! Crap! Now what was she gonna do?!

 _I'm running errands!_

Ack! What was she doing?! That was even more suspicious!

He didn't respond right away and Futaba just knew that he knew that she was lying. Now she was going to have to tell him the truth and the surprise was going to be ruin-

 _By yourself? Wow, that's great Futaba, I'm proud of you :) We could meet at the theater in an hour then. How does that sound?_

He was…proud of her? Futaba clutched her phone even tighter and her face flushed bright red.

 _That sounds great!_

 _Okay. See you soon._

Futaba put her phone away and leaned back in her seat. She was going on a date with Tatsuma…

She closed her eyes and let the warm feeling that thought caused to flow through her.

She remained that way until the train pulled up at the station.

Phase five…wasn't so bad.


	3. Chapter 3

**Well this was supposed to be out, like two weeks ago, so sorry about that. Had family visiting so no time to write. This is the final chapter of this story, but I do plan on writing more with these characters. I hope you guys like it, and once again all favs, follows, and reviews are greatly appreciated.**

* * *

Compared to the first half of the trip, the journey back to Yongen-Jaya was pretty uneventful. Once in Shibuya, she got off the train and headed for the next one. She was able to find a seat again so she did some people watching, just to make sure she wasn't taken by surprise by anything, but her mind was mostly on trying to figure out when she was going to give Tatsuma his gift.

Things were pretty tense these days with everything going on with Makoto's sister and that Akechi guy, so she wanted to find a good time where it was just the two of them.

It wasn't going to be that night when they were at the movie, cause that would be weird. Who just sprang headphones on someone when they were just on a normal date? So she had to come up with a better time and place. The day of his birthday wouldn't work because he wouldn't be there and she wasn't sure if she would be able to go and visit him at his house, but maybe she could do it on the day he was leaving?

That was a good option. It could kind of be a birthday/going away gift. Maybe she could even give him a bunch of awesome music to listen to as well!

She smiled slightly as she stepped off the train.

It was a good plan. She would have to think on it some more. At the moment though, she needed to get home to get ready for the movie.

And to hide the present of course.

Walking through Yongen, Futaba felt more at ease. It was more familiar to her so she kind of knew what to expect from the environment and the people who lived there. There was also the fact that it meant that she was almost home. Back in her safe haven.

Nobody bothered her as she strolled along, too busy with their own lives, and she was grateful for it but a part of her also wished that she was able to talk with them like a normal person. She thought back to what had happened earlier. The way she had freaked out whenever a person even looked at her. Getting out on her own was definitely progress but…it didn't feel like enough sometimes.

Sighing in annoyance of her own thoughts, Futaba suddenly realized that she was near the cafe.

As she passed the street leading down to it she couldn't help but take a quick look and see if Tatsuma was around. She was a little disappointed when she didn't see him, but then she remembered that they would be together in a few minutes.

They were going to the old theater nearby, for which she was glad. Futaba didn't think she could handle another trip to Shibuya so soon. It was a good thing that they had managed to save it by taking care of the jerk property guy in Mementos. It was nice having a theater so close by so they could watch some epic sci-fi movies together.

Futaba was getting excited just thinking about it.

She actually passed by the place as she walked and was glad to see that Tatsuma wasn't there yet. Running into him while holding his birthday present would have ruined the whole thing.

It didn't take her long to reach home after that, and as soon as she passed the threshold and the door closed behind her, she heaved out a huge sigh of relief.

All of the tension drained out of her and she leaned back against the wall with her eyes closed.

"Well Futaba, you did it. Phase six is done, which means…"

Her eyes shot open in excitement and, after doing a little victory dance, Futaba spun around in a circle before jumping up in the air.

"Woohoo! Mission Complete!"

Pride rose up in her and she did another twirl. She couldn't believe that she'd actually done it. Futaba Sakura had completed her mission, with a few issues, but she'd actually managed it all by herself…mostly.

Mrs. Seta helped a little…and that electronics employee guy…and that woman who helped her up when she was pushed to the ground…and that old man who pointed out that she was about to miss her stop…

"Whatever!" She shouted to the empty house. "I did it mostly by myself! I have officially leveled up!"

She smiled widely before kicking off her shoes and sprinting down the hallway toward her room. Once she was there she kicked the door closed behind her. She couldn't let anyone see where she was going to stash the present.

There wasn't anyone in the house except her, but it was the principle of the thing. Besides, she knew better than anyone that the walls had ears…and sometimes eyes.

"Hehehe…" She chuckled to herself as she remembered all the secret conversations she'd heard in the cafe after she'd bugged it that one time.

Futaba looked around her room and tried to figure out the best spot. Her eyes immediately landed on her closet door. Tatsuma came in her room sometimes so the hiding place had to be out of sight. Nobody ever went in there except her.

Walking over, she wrenched it open to reveal a complete and utter mess. She ignored this of course, and shoved her clothes to the side before moving on to some of her action figures. Once a suitable spot was cleared, she placed the headphones down and then covered them with some blankets she had stored for the winter months. Tatsuma's gift needed to be protected after all.

Pleased with her handy work, Futaba closed the closet door and placed her hands on her hips in satisfaction.

"Alright then!" It was time to change objectives. "Now it's time for operation, Movie Date With Tatsuma!" She yelled while pumping her fist into the air.

Spinning around she quickly adjusted her glasses, which had slipped down her nose in her enthusiasm, before running back out to the front door. Her shoes were still right where she left them so she shoved them back on her feet and hurried outside without a moment's hesitation.

Heading out on a shopping trip alone was a completely different experience to heading out to meet her boyfriend.

She blushed again at the thought of it before getting mad that she kept doing that.

"Definitely gotta work on that…" She muttered to herself as she began to make her way to the movie theater.

A few minutes later she rounded the corner and…there he was.

Standing by the entrance, looking as tall and handsome as usual, was Tatsuma. He had his back to her, with his hands in his pockets, as he looked up at the sign listing the movies that were playing. She noticed that his customary Mona carrying bag was nowhere to be seen, and couldn't help but feel a wave of affection.

He wanted to be alone with her!

Deciding that she couldn't wait any longer, Futaba ran over and skidded to a stop beside him.

"Sorry I'm late!" She almost yelled as he turned to face her. She wasn't even sure if she _was_ late or not…she was just a little nervous and it had been something to say to break the ice.

He smiled softly at her and didn't seem put off by her actions at all. He was used to her eccentricities by now.

"Hey Futaba. You're not late so don't worry about it okay?"

She nodded in happiness. "Okay. Sooo, what are we watching?"

He turned to look back at the board. "Have you seen this one yet?" He asked as he pointed to one at the top of the list.

Futaba followed his finger and read the name. It didn't sound familiar.

"Nope." She said before suddenly realizing what that meant.

She excitedly grabbed onto his arm. "That means it's a new one! Awesome!"

Tatsuma smiled down at her. "Well, what are we waiting for then?"

Futaba beamed up at him before dragging him over to the ticket booth. This was going to be epic! She was so happy to finally have someone who actually wanted to see these with her. She'd never realized it before but, watching something you love _with_ someone you love, made it even better.

Once they purchased their tickets they bought some popcorn, found their seats, and settled in.

Futaba was practically bouncing in her seat as she waited for the movie to start. She was so excited.

"So do you think it's gonna be good? I've seen a few other movies by this guy and I really like them. He makes the worlds seem so real."

"I'm sure it will be. You'll have to pick out a few of the ones you enjoyed and we can have a movie night."

Futaba's face lit up and she couldn't help but lay her head on his shoulder for a minute. He'd said before that that was okay, so it should be…right?

She was extremely nervous for a few seconds but Tatsuma didn't make any move to shove her away or anything so she relaxed slightly.

Until the movie came on of course.

As soon as it started she sat up straight and grabbed her arm rests in anticipation.

She was so excited in fact, that she didn't even hear Tatsuma laughing quietly beside her.

* * *

"That. Was. Awesome!" She nearly squealed as they left the theater a few hours later. "Wasn't that part where the hero jumped out of the ship without his spacesuit and into the other ship completely epic?! It was just like what we did in Haru's dad's palace!"

Tatsuma laughed lightly. "Yeah. And don't forget the part where he shot down that giant lizard with only one bullet."

Futaba chuckled beside him. "You _would_ like the shooting part, you gun fanatic."

"Hey. I'm not a fanatic…I'm just an enthusiast."

She laughed again before stretching her arms out above her head. The day had started out as nerve wracking and intense but…being around him, she just felt calm. It was the nicest feeling in the world.

She suddenly couldn't help wondering again, why he put up with her. She was a total mess after all. Being with a former shut-in like her probably wasn't the easiest relationship in the world.

Futaba turned to look up at him as she lowered her arms. "Hey…Tatsuma?"

He looked down at her with curiosity in his eyes. "What's up?"

She fiddled with her fingers as she tried to come up with the words she wanted to say.

Why are you always so nice to me?

What is it about me that you like so much?

Why did you choose me?

But…seeing him watching her with nothing but fondness in his eyes…she just couldn't bring herself to ruin the moment. Shaking her head, she dropped her arms back down to her sides with a rueful smile.

"Never mind. It's nothing."

Tatsuma stared at her in confusion for a moment before he lifted his right hand and placed it gently on her head.

It was so warm…

Relishing the feeling, Futaba moved forward and rested her head against his chest. "Close…" She murmured against his shirt.

Tatsuma didn't remove his hand and the two of them stood there, just to the left of the theater exit, completely content.

It was absolutely amazing how, just being with him, made her anxiety vanish. She really hoped that she would never have to find out what it would be like if she lost him. With everything going on in their lives at the moment…nothing was guaranteed. Especially after what had happened to her mom.

Futaba didn't know how long they stayed like that, totally ignoring the stares they were getting, but eventually she realized that it was getting dark so she reluctantly pulled away.

Tatsuma smiled down at her. "Ready to head back?"

She nodded in acceptance. "Yeah…"

He laughed at her obvious reluctance before reaching out to take her hand in his. Futaba's face flushed bright red again but she pushed down her embarrassment and just tried to enjoy the feeling.

"Let's go." He said.

She smiled up at him and allowed him to start leading her toward home. They only took a few steps before Tatsuma suddenly stopped walking.

It was her turn to look at him in confusion. "Why'd you stop?"

He gave her a quick thoughtful glace before looking over toward the cafe. "Have you eaten anything yet? If not, do you want to head over to Leblanc? I can make you some curry."

Futaba quickly grew excited again. "Really?! Yay curry!"

Tatsuma laughed and then changed their direction.

It didn't take long and they soon found themselves standing outside of the cafe. Tatsuma pulled his hand away and she was saddened by the loss.

He seemed to understand so he placed his hand briefly on her head again before reaching for the door. The little bell jingled and Sojiro looked up from where he was standing behind the counter.

"Hey you two. How was the movie?"

Futaba ran over and plopped herself down on her usual stool. "It was amazing! I wanna go and see it again tomorrow!"

Sojiro laughed. "Maybe you should give it a day or so, let it's awesomeness sink in a bit."

Futaba just rolled her eyes and watched as Tatsuma made his way around the counter and toward the fridge. She was practically drooling in anticipation of the delicious curry he was about to make.

"You makin dinner?" Sojiro asked.

Tatsuma responded with a casual "Yup," Without looking away from what he was doing.

Sojiro shook his head in fond acceptance. "Alright. I guess I'll close up early tonight. Don't have any customers anyway."

Futaba watched as her dad went about closing up the cafe and her boyfriend started making her favorite meal and, in that moment, she couldn't be happier.

* * *

The food was absolutely delicious, as she knew it would be, and as she prepared to walk home with Sojiro, Futaba felt like she was floating on a cloud of contentment.

"Don't forget to lock up after we leave." Her dad said to Tatsuma as the two of them headed for the door. He just nodded and then looked over at her with a smile as he reached up to briefly play with his hair.

"I'll see you tomorrow Futaba."

"Okay." She said, smiling back at him. "Oh! And I'll text you a list of movies we need to watch!"

He just nodded again, but that was Tatsuma. He was a man of few words.

Sojiro watched their little exchange with fond eyes before abruptly clearing his throat. "Alright you two lovebirds, time to call it a night."

"Sojiro!" Futaba whined as her face flushed in embarrassment. Although, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tatsuma turn a lovely shade of pink as well which made her feel a little better.

Sojiro just laughed before heading outside. She scowled at his back, secretly planning her revenge, before throwing her boyfriend a quick wave and hurrying after him.

The two of them walked silently for a little while, Futaba still annoyed with his previous comment, but it was a comfortable silence. She enjoyed just being with her dad. He was the only adult, other than her mom, that really cared about her. It was a tiny bit embarrassing but she was very grateful that he was in her life.

"So, how did your little shopping trip go today?" He suddenly asked as they passed by the movie theater.

Futaba looked over at him with narrowed eyes, trying to gauge how much he knew.

"Fine. I got what I needed."

"That's great to hear. I'm sure he's gonna love it, whatever it is."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "B-but how did you know I got something for Tatsuma?!"

Sojiro chuckled lightly. "A dad always knows."

Futaba narrowed her eyes at him again but decided not to call him out on his bullshit.

She suddenly felt nervous again. "D-do you really think he's gonna like it?"

Sojiro stopped walking and looked down at her. "Futaba, it may annoy me to no end, but I've seen the way the kid looks at you. Whatever you bought him, he's going to love. Trust me on that."

She remained quiet for a moment before looking up at him with a smile. "Okay."

Sojiro smiled back and then, together, the two of them headed for home.

As she lay in bed that night with a full stomach and Tatsuma's gift in the closet, Futaba couldn't help but think that the day had turned out pretty good, all things considered. Her arm still hurt a bit and the image of that annoyed cashier was still fresh in her mind, but she'd accomplished her goal and had even made strides in bettering her interactions with other people.

"Yup…it went pretty darn good…" She mumbled into the silent darkness of her room before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

The next day would be even better, especially with her key item by her side.

* * *

 **Well, that's it for this one. My next one will be a one-shot where Futaba actually gives him the present. I was also thinking about starting a drabble series showcasing different moments in their relationship. If anyone has any ideas of things they'd like to see, feel free to PM me or leave it in a review and I'll see what I can do.**


End file.
